“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

–Robert Brault

Cancer has an urgency to it. One lives or dies. This realization strips away the extraneous fluff that so often clutters our life. Matters of real importance gain clarity. And in the face of adversity, stopping to be grateful can be calming, centering, even inspiring.

This week, we’re inspired by the words of the blogging community on gratitude.

“When you have cancer, when you’re being cut open and radiated and who knows what else, it can take a great effort to be thankful for the gift of the one life that we have been blessed with. Believe me, I know. And sometimes, in the amnesia of sickness, we forget to be grateful. But if we let our cancers consume our spirits in addition to our bodies, then we risk forgetting who we truly are, of contracting a kind of Alzheimer’s of the soul…”

“My pilgrimage is internal, as it is for many cancer survivors, but no less magical because of that. Those of us with cancer in our bodies might feel the weight of our burden every day, but we also know that it is only in the journey that we can find stability and stillness—and never in the destination…”

You, my friend, are ruthless, merciless and frustrating. You have left corners of me broken that will never again be the same, but I still thank you for teaching me lessons I never knew I needed to learn. Thank you for making me look at small moments as giant ones. Thank you for teaching me to live and love as big as I possibly can. Thank you for introducing me to many new amazing people and giving me a greater appreciation for the people I already had. Thank you for teaching me that it’s OK to accept the help of others. Thank you for making me face my fears of death, mutilation and loss of self, because in doing this I found a new self. Thank you for teaching me how to find silver linings in the darkest of moments. Thank you for teaching me how to let go of fallacious beliefs, pettiness and small-minded thinking, and for giving me the opportunity to disconnect myself from unnecessary stress. Thank you for helping me to find my true potential; through all of the havoc that you caused, I still was able to hold myself to high educational standards. Thank you for showing me that gratitude should come out of every experience. Thank you for giving me a new perspective on life. Thank you for teaching me that I am stronger than you…”